AFC Champions League 4th leg away to Johor on July 7 at 9pm
After two consecutive years at the top of the Korean Football League (K League 1), Ulsan Hyundai head coach Hong Myung-bo has vowed to navigate his side's upcoming trip to Malaysia as they look to challenge for the top spot in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL).
Ulsan, led by Hong Myung-bo, will host Johor Bahru Darul Taqim (Malaysia) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on July 7 at 9 p.m. for their fourth AFC Champions League Group I match of the 2023-2024 season.
Having clinched the K League One title early last month, Ulsan can now focus on the ACL with a light heart.
"It's an important game for us to qualify for the knockout stages," said Hong. "We won against Johor at home last time, so I think they'll be well prepared. We will finish our official training today and prepare well for the rest of the day to achieve a good result."
Ulsan defeated Johor 3-1 at home on October 24.
They followed that up with a 2-0 win over Daegu FC on October 29 to clinch the K League title and then took over a week off to get their squad in shape.
Ulsan is second in Group I with a 2-1 record, behind three-time winners Kawasaki Frontale (Japan). Johor is third with a 1-2 record.
This season, the ACL in East Asia will feature the top three teams from each group and the top two teams from each group in the round of 16.
"We have clinched the title in the K League 1, but we haven't done the (championship) ceremony yet, so the players can focus on the ACL and take it seriously," Hong said.
"Johor is at home, they need a win and will come out aggressive. There will be difficult periods, but if we can handle them well, we can win."
"In the last game, we won despite having one man sent off," he said. "It's not about the number of players, whether it's one or 11, it's about how you focus on the game. Tomorrow, we will try to predict and prepare for our opponent in an equalized situation."
Ulsan has bad memories of last year's ACL group stage, which was held in Johor in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Ulsan struggled with home-field advantage, being assigned a training field with poor turf conditions, and were eliminated with two losses to Johor.
"We are fully aware of the stadium atmosphere, and the players have the experience to deal with it," Hong said, adding that last year's experience will offset many of the negative effects.
"I heard that the road to Johor was difficult and the atmosphere of the stadium and fans made it very difficult for us," said striker Kim Ji-hyun, who missed the trip to Johor last year due to military service, "but I think we overcame all of that with the win in the last game."
"It's a good environment for us to focus on the ACL," he added. "We'll be facing Johor in consecutive games, and we'll prepare to play with our best form." 카지노사이트존